The Fairy Tail Agents
by elorlan
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia has run away from home and her previous life, and she takes up the alias "Anna Love" to start over. All she wants is a normal life, but fate has other plans. When Lucy's job offer gets turned down, she begins to give up on finding a job. But she finds herself in a place at the wrong time and everything that she was running away from catches up with her again.
1. Chapter 1

Hello, here's the first chapter of _The Fairy Tail Agents_. Hope you enjoy.

*Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail*

 **-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-**

 **A Completely Ordinary Young Working-woman and** **an Explosive-happy Arsonist with a Short Temper**

 **...**

 **[Lucy Heartfilia aka Anna Love]**

Lucy's phone erupted into a series of agonizing rhythmic beats while vibrating frantically and making a harsh rattling noise against her nightstand. The raucous noise was all too familiar. She groaned and snuggled into her comforter further. She wanted more than anything to sleep longer.

It seemed every morning since she could remember started like that. She had yet to have a morning where she was excited to face the day ahead. Instead, she approached the coming laborious hours with dread and dismay. She tried for a minute to pretend the blaring noise wasn't happening, but she soon found it impossible.

With an angry huff of air, she kicked her covers off, before immediately recoiling into herself as the cold hair touched her skin. But that was the only way she'd ever get herself out from under the covers. It seemed harshness was the only way to placate her. What could she say, she was stubborn.

Her face scrunched up like she'd eaten a lemon. It took a tremendous amount of effort for her to finally reach over to the buzzing phone and dismiss the alarm and the others she'd set just in case the current hadn't worked.

She stretched her long smooth arms over her head and released a hefty yawn. She let out a few more groans before finally making herself slide off the bed. She walked over to the window and opened the curtains letting the sun shine through. She still couldn't get over the view of Magnolia.

She'd just moved to the city a weeks ago. Well, move wasn't quite the right word for it. More like she escaped to it. The thought made her grimace. She quickly shoved the memories that began to surface deep down into her chest. She had to do that often. It seemed her past, figuratively and literally, was always chasing her.

She stood there with her arms extended and eyes closed for a long moment, letting its rays soak into her. The light absorbed into her creamy skin sending soothing tingles through her body. The sun never failed to warm her, no matter where she was.

Lucy turned her back to the window with more effort than it should've taken. She could've stood there for hours. She _would've_ stood there for hours. _If only, if only._ She hummed silently in her head. She said that to herself a lot. She was always making the wrong decisions where it counted. She was always so unsure of herself. She really hated that, but what could she do about it.

She wasn't an instinctive person. She sometimes wished she was. She got caught up on things so easily and she was never able to move forward. It was only recently that it seemed she was actually going somewhere, but she feared she would never be able to stop now. Maybe she'd never get a happy medium; that somewhere in between placid and fickle.

She was an adult. Yet, she still felt like a teenager. She ought to have her life figured out, right? But she was so far from anything stable. She had nothing to lean on, nothing to catch her. And If she fell, she'd fall hard.

Outwardly, she appeared confident enough. That was all part of the facade. She found that people were really easy to fool. Too easy to fool. She didn't _want_ to deceive people, of course, she didn't, but it came so naturally, so simply. She didn't even need to think about it.

If she wanted something, she'd just act. It like she had this demon living inside her. And all it took was for that demon to bat her large, doe eyes, a swig of the hips, and a flash of her teeth, and then people assumed she was this charismatic, confident and forthright woman without her even speaking a word. But the truth is always a bit more complex than that. Lucy was a deliciously unsolved puzzle just ready to have her pieces spilled across the ground and scrambled and solved.

If she knew anything, Lucy knew that everyone had different sides to them.

 _People are too naive and too lazy to find those other sides of people and that's what makes them so easy to manipulate_. _They don't want to know the truth, so they get bend by lies._

She clenched the urge to vituperate out loud. Those were her father's words. She hated that she remembered them. Surely, if she remembered them, she may begin to unconsciously listen to them. That is, if she hadn't already. What other had habits did she pick up? What other words are inked in the back of her brain? She bit her lip. Hard. Her thoughts snapped back once again, gleefully skipping to the sunny side of her mind, forcefully disregarding the stormy clouds behind them.

She stared at her bedroom. It was mostly empty. She had her bed with a plain white comforter, a bookshelf with (much to her chagrin) only five measly books in it, a dresser with a few succulents and a photo of her mother sitting on top, a bed stand, and a large mirror. Every piece of furniture was white, including her walls, which made the room look even plainer than it already was.

The rest of her small apartment wasn't much better. She had rented one that was pre-furnished, since she had no desire to furnish it herself, and especially since she wasn't sure how long her stay in Magnolia would last. While the rest of the apartment was definitely better decorated than her room, it was still rather plain (the advert calling it "modern"). The pieces of furniture were traditional and uninteresting. Everything but the three throw pillows and a decorative blanket was a solid color. And each piece of furniture was made of all rectangle and squares. However, Lucy couldn't complain too much. She knew she was much better off with this apartment than others out there.

Lucy shuffled her feet across the cold hardwood floor and headed towards the bedroom door. She emerged into the short, yet stout, hallway. She closed the door before walking a few steps and opening the bathroom door almost directly across from the bedroom. She rolled open the clear shower door and twisted on the water. She felt it before she began to peel her clothes off.

She got inside the shower, feeling immediately refreshed as the warm water bounced off her skin. She hummed softly as she washed yesterday away. She wished the apartment had a bathtub, but she wasn't so lucky. She really did yearn for a hot bath late at night to clear her stress. Even so, she was able to find some relaxation in a hot shower, however subpar to the tub.

She took a quicker shower than usual today. She had a lot to prepare for. She started her new job today, maybe her first real job. She was to be a receptionist in some type of firm. She wasn't exactly sure what it was for. The description was rather vague. She shot up a few red flags, but they were dismissed by the fact possibility she might actually land a somewhat decent job.

The Fairy Tail Agency: We specialize in the handlings of injustice. The name made her believe it was a law firm. Which was kind of ironic for her. Her interview didn't tell her much about the job either. She was interviewed by a middle-aged man, Wakaba Mine, in a coffee shop. She was asked a couple questions about her work ethic, but then it became obvious the man was distracted, as his eyes continued to drift down on multiple occasions.

She couldn't even manage to ask a single question before he gave her the job. She wasn't going to complain. A jobs a job, no matter how she got it. As long as no one found out her real identity and she laid low, she'd be fine. At least, that what she was hoping.

Lucy changed into a tight black pencil skirt, nude stockings, and a white button down. Business casual definitely was not her style. It seemed to age her a good amount of years. Which was a true feat since the twenty-year-old already looked only seventeen with a full face of makeup. She decided to at least spare her hair and let it stay down rather than pulling it into a tight bun. Though, her hair was a lot shorter since she cut it, so she wasn't sure she'd even be able to. She frowned at the dirty blonde color she had to dye it.

It was definitely a change from the baby blonde color she had had all her life. She put on some light makeup, a bit heavier than she usually would, but nothing close to a full face. She slipped on some black pumps that she already dreaded to walk in before gathering her purse and phone and heading out the front door, sure to lock the apartment behind her.

She was used to the city's hustle and bustle. She preferred it actually. She wasn't ever bored. She couldn't be bored when there was so much to hear and smell and see. Of course, she supposed she would've been better off moving out to the boonies or to another country all together considering her situation, but she simply couldn't bring herself.

She figured no matter where she went they'd catch up to her eventually, so she might as be somewhere that she'd enjoy. Besides, she'd spend a lot of her life cooped up in a house with nothing to do. She wanted to live her life a little, even if it wasn't for very long.

Magnolia had a certain charm to it. She couldn't exactly place her finger on what it was. It was different from others cities she'd been to. Maybe that was because she only skimmed the surface of the city. For once in her life, she was one of the tourists. Lucy knew better than anyone that, once you dug a little deeper, once you explored the back alleys, and you wandered around at night, you'd begin to see the truth.

Cities had layers. On the outside, they were lively, bustling places full of people all working towards their goals. It was exciting and fun and never stopping. The outside layers of every city are different. They shift and change and each is glazed with their own unique culture. But a city's core is the same everywhere. The inside layers aren't so happy-go-lucky.

Skimming the inner layers you've got fist fights, you have lightweight drugs, and over drinking. But once you go in deeper there's human trafficking, murder, rape, heavy duty drugs and everything in between. In its very core are the people who control it all. They hold the city in their fist, all the while people have no idea. It doesn't really affect them. Why should they care? Which makes them all the more powerful.

Those things had been Lucy's life. And while she knows she'll never really escape it, it wouldn't hurt to let herself be naive for a while. For now, she'll be like everyone else. She'll see the only part of the city she wants to see. The lively and beautiful part of it.

Lucy smiled warily to herself. She walked briskly, her long legs taking long strides, her back straightened and her chin tilted upward. She took in the thick city air. While it wasn't fresh and clear, it was still refreshing to her. In the midst of all these people, she felt like one of them. No one knew her. She knew no one else. She didn't have to worry about what they had to say. She could be confident without worrying about being torn down. She felt like an immovable force. And while she wouldn't like to admit it, it felt really really good.

Lucy's phone broke out into one of the default ringtones. She pulled her phone out of her purse. Her eyes narrowed at the unknown number. She hesitantly accepted the call and pulled it up to her ear.

"Hello? Who's this." Lucy asked. Her voice when up an octave out of nervousness.

"Hey, Lucy." The voice said through the phone. She eased slightly. She recognized the voice.

"Leo? How in the world did you get my number." Lucy's voice became a sharp whisper. She looked frantically both ways at a crosswalk and quickly scurried across.

"I have my ways, m'lady." Lucy could imagine Leo with his hand on his hips with a sideways smile, pleased with her curiosity.

"Drop the m'lady. You know I hate that." Lucy sneered. She could hear him sigh through the phone.

"Right, right. Old habits die hard, you know." His voice drifted probably as his brain thought back to other old habits he'd picked up along the way. Lucy's mind did too, once again. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, that's unimportant. I was just making sure you've gotten settled alright. You haven't run into any problems, right?"

"No, everything's going quite well. So far. I've got my fake ID and paperwork, I cut and dyed my hair, I'm wearing expensive colored contacts, I got an apartment, and I've got a job . . ." Lucy rattled off.

"Apartment? So you're in a city? Are you sure that's a great idea? I think you're underestimating your father, Lu. I mean if I'm able to get your phone number, surely someone else will be able to. You really shouldn't even have a phone . . ." Leo stated.

"Yeah, but you're you. You probably just figured out the fake name I'm going by. I bet this isn't your first attempt to get a hold of me."

"You figured me out already?" Leo laughed nervously, clearly still concerned about Lucy's lack of effort. "But I still think you should get out of the city and get off the internet. I mean I can afford to be in the city, but you? That's a little more than risky. I just hope you're at least out of the country."

"I'll be fine. I've got fraudulent papers up the wazoo, my hair is a muddy orange half its original length, my eyes are blue, and the only thing I have is a phone number and a Netflix account. Both of which I made sure were made using all new information that's completely untraceable. I'm practically a completely different person."

"A Netflix account? Was that really necessary?" Leo scoffed. Lucy rounded the corner with furrowed brows that were pointless because he couldn't see them.

"Yes, completely necessary. How else am I supposed to watch Friends and sappy romcoms? I can't afford cable." Lucy deadpanned. Leo snickered at that. "Well, what about you? What're you up to?"

"Me? I'm still around Fiore. I have a slightly grown out ginger buzz cut and some ear piercings. I have a new girlfriend, Hannah or Haleigh or something. I haven't worn a suit for around a month, nor my glasses. And I got a job and apartment about three weeks ago." Leo rattled off. Lucy was a little surprised he'd be in the country. She figured he'd be somewhere in Brazil sunbathing on a beach. He'd always talk about how hot the chicks were there.

"A job? I can't imagine what kind of job you got." Lucy teased.

"It suits me. It's a bit odd, but so was my previous job." Leo stated. He was definitely leaving something out, but Lucy was almost to her own job and didn't feel like arguing.

"Vague, but okay. I better go, Leo. Feel free to call again. It was nice talking to you. And if you ever get a hold of the others let me know. I'm really hoping they're okay."

"I will, Lucy. Or shall I call you Anna? Talk to you later." Leo hung up with laughter in his voice. She couldn't help but smile. Despite everything they'd gone through, she was glad to hear from an old friend.

She had to admit she was impressed that he was able to figure out her name. She'd chosen Anna because it was her great great grandmother or something of that extent's name. She'd only mentioned the woman to Leo once, but of course, once is enough for him to remember. She had to admit that when she chose the name, she had that in mind.

Her last name was Love, from the hotel her parents met at, Love and Lucky, which also was where she got her real name, Lucy. She could've picked a completely different name, but she wanted something familiar and something that would still somewhat fit her without being obvious. She was tempted to give herself the name Layla after her mother but that would be the first name her father would think of. She was sure that, despite its familiarity, her father would not think of it. And even if it stared him in the face, he would find no connection. She threw everything about her mother out of his mind.

Lucy finally arrived at the place she was to work. It was shorter than the other buildings around it, but it was a lot wider than the other buildings too. The bottom of the building was partially covered with rusty orange bricks but continued upward with marble. It had a flat roof and was covered with windows that you couldn't see through. The front displayed a sign saying _FAIRY TAIL_ in fancy blocky letters. The entrance was a dark orange set of doors that look like wood. It was pretty gaudy actually. The building didn't look like an agency and certainly didn't look like it belonged in the city. She felt kinda silly standing in front of it with such a professional outfit on. She bit the inside of her cheek lightly before trudging forward.

She opened the orange door which was heavier than it appeared to be. The doors took her to a large room with slick wooden flooring illuminated mostly by natural light that spilled through its windows. There was a long rectangular desk covered with computers and phones other miscellaneous office items. Behind it was a woman with dark colored hair that appeared purple and a woman with very blond hair that was easily mistaken for white.

The space was very open. To the right and left sides were two sets of side staircases leading to the next level. The stairs formed a circular formation as the went upwards. There was an identical set up of couches on both sides that included generic furniture similar to the kind she had in her apartment except the couches were a deep orange color that matched to bricks on the outside. To the far right was a table with various food and drinks.

To the far left, there were three doors evenly spaced along the extent of the wall. Lucy couldn't read was the signs on them said, but she assumed they were just offices. She couldn't see anything else about the building. There seemed to be a lot of upper floors, and even more of this floor beyond the front desk, but none of it was able to be seen. It was like the building was hiding something.

Lucy walked forward towards the desk, where she assumed she would be working. She brushed her hair back nervously.

"Hello, ma'am. How can Fairy Tail help you today?" The white-haired lady with large doe eyes smiled at her. It was a smile that could comfort anyone. Lucy was about to reply when the girl looked past her with a concerned expression. Lucy only followed her gaze when shouts erupted from behind her, causing echos to bounce throughout the room.

"What are you talking about polar dick! That was your fault!" The childish sounding voice of a male boomed throughout the lobby. Lucy turned to see a taller man with bluish-black hair being yelled at by a man with unruly pink hair. The man wore a dark pair of jeans, a baggy bomber jacket, and a white patterned scarf that hung lazily around his neck. His arms were spread theatrically and he shouted at the other man.

" _My_ fault. That's hilarious flame brain. How was that _my_ fault? It was your bomb that blew the building up. You were the one carrying that bomb. You're in charge of that sort of thing. Not me!" The taller man lost some of his composure then. His handsome, previously stoic expression was now bunched up in anger. He wore a cleanly pressed suit that contrasted harshly with the other guy.

"Yeah, but you distracted me. Maybe if you did your job better, I wouldn't have been paying attention to you, but the bomb!"

"You work with bombs, Natsu! You'd think you'd have a little more focus than that!"

Lucy was dreadfully confused. What were these guys doing in the middle of a law firm lobby yelling about bombs? Lucy narrowed her eyes she was about to shut them up when someone else did. It was the white-haired girl.

"That's enough guys! We have a client." The men, who would be better off being called boys, stopped their bickering and planted their eyes on Lucy. They were eager and curious. The continuous gazes made Lucy look away uneasily back to the woman behind the counter. She could hear the guys' footsteps nearing her from behind. The pink haired guy leaned across the counter eyes still watching Lucy curiously. The other guy stood slightly behind her with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Your hair's dyed." The pink guy stated, picking up a strand. "Looks weird." Lucy glanced down at the guy with a scowl.

"Says the guy with pink hair," Lucy muttered. The guys narrowed his eyes at her while self consciously brushing his fingers through his hair. The woman cleared her throat and the pink-haired man faced her quickly without returning a comment.

"So how can we help you?" The woman said again. Lucy finally got the chance to notice the name tag on her light blue blouse. It said Lisanna.

"I'm actually here to start working. I had an interview the other day and got the job. I was told to start work on Monday." Lucy stated. She could feel pinky's eyes returning to her again, interested.

"Really? This is the first I've heard…" Lisanna stated. "What position did you apply for?"

"Just a receptionist," Lucy stated. "My name's Anna Love. I was interviewed by Mr. Mine after sending in an application and he gave the job pretty much on the spot."

"I can see why…" The man behind Lucy stated with a smile in his voice. Lucy ignored him and gripped her purse tightly.

"I'm really sorry, but no one gets a job here unless they are approved by President Makarov. I'm afraid Wakaba jumped the gun a little bit." The woman, Lisanna, gave an apologetic smile. Lucy couldn't manage to give one in return. How was she supposed to pay rent now? She only had so many savings and she needed that in case of an emergency.

"I guess it's fine." Lucy's sighed.

"Write your name and number down and I'll talk to Makarov and Wakaba. I promise to get back to you as soon as possible." Lisanna handed her a pen and Lucy scribbled down her "name" accidentally writing her real name at first. After a moment of slight hesitation, she continued onto her number. Lucy gave her the small slip of paper. She could still feel the guys eyes on her. She wished she could give them a piece of her mind, but then wasn't the time nor the place. Instead, she walked away towards the front doors. Pinky followed her.

"That sucks, Ann. Such a tough break." The pink-haired guy stated mockingly, most likely to get his revenge for commenting on his hair. Lucy smiled meekly at the comment. "First time in the city? Did ya run away from home?"

Lucy walked faster. Pinky did too. "That's really none of your business."

"Sorry, sorry. Just curious. Well, good luck, Anna Love. Hope things work out for ya." As Lucy passed the threshold of the front doors, Pinky luckily didn't follow.

"Yeah, I do too." She stated as the doors closed. Lucy was left extremely pissed, jobless, and in dire need of a coffee.

It suffices to say, this day did not go at all how she expected and she hadn't even been awake for more than two hours.

 **...**

 **[Natsu Dragneel aka Salamander]**

Natsu hadn't been planning to wake up at all. His was still deep in sleep. Which is why it was a good thing he had a roommate who was more responsible that he was. He'd end up sleeping all day, and he'd be living in filth several feet higher than he already was. That wasn't to say his roommate would be that much better off. They both, admittedly, had their flaws. Having another person around kept those especially troublesome flaws somewhat in check.

Natsu was dreaming happily about his cat, Happy, being able to talk and having wings that he used to fly around Natsu's head. This dream was recurring. He had it almost every night strangely enough. His unconscious self was always amused. It usually played after a nightmare, of which never failed to greet him, as a refreshing halftime before the next series of unfavorableness.

Natsu's dream ended abruptly as something a stark cold makes contact with his hand that flailed off the side of the bed. Natsu's eyes shot open and he waved his arms wildly. The back of his palm hit something fleshy, making a sharp slapping sound. Natsu's eyes adjusted to the intense sunlight the spilled into his room. He was met with his roommate, Gray, staring back at him with a cold glare. Natsu let out a long and low growl and flopped back down onto the bed in return.

"Come on, fire shit, get up. We have work today." Gray stated while folding his arms over his chest tightly. He tapped his foot impatiently on the carpet, a habit that never failed to annoy the heck out of Natsu.

"We have work?" Natsu mumbled rubbing his eyes. "I thought it was Sunday." Which was true. Natsu was terrible at keeping track of the days. If it weren't for his friend's constant reminder of work, he would assume every day was Sunday. He lazily wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.

"No, it's Monday." Gray let his arms fall from his chest and began to walk from the bedside. He stepped over several piles of clothes, miscellaneous buttons, gadgets, and a grenade or two. "If you don't get in the shower now, you're gonna be late. I'm not waiting for you. You've got twenty minutes. And don't leave that stuff on the ground. You'll blow up the apartment, and that'd be problematic."

"Don't get your polar panties in a twist. They aren't even live. They can't explode." _If they were live, the building would be long gone by now._ Natsu sat up and yawned, reaching his long strong arms to the ceiling. Gray ignored the statement and walked out of the room. Natsu burst into laughter when he stumbled on one of the piles of stuff on Natsu's floor.

Natsu peeled the already halfway slipping comforter all the way off of himself before planting his feet on a rare clear spot on the ground. He scratched his sleeping cat's head. The little guy was white originally, but some punk kids dyed his fur blue, and a lot of the color still stuck to him. The cat was easily Natsu's best friend. Which he gets a bit of flack for, but he got flack for nearly everything he did. Yet, his friends wonder why he likes his cat over them.

Natsu stood and stepped over one of the usual piles of stuff before bending down to pick up a bath towel that lay on the ground. He smelt it. He got a slight whiff of body wash and the stench of mildew that should've been more concerning than it was to him. He shrugged and hopscotched his way over to his bathroom.

Natsu's room was more than a little messy. There were clothes strewn about in various places. Some lay in piles, some hung off of other furniture, and only a very few were actually folded and put away.

However, Natsu's clothes weren't the major contributor to his messy room. It was all his _toys_ , as he called them. There were various firearms and ammo, but that was the least unusual thing. Natsu has several grenades and homemade bombs and other explosives, big and small, and several different kinds of explosive materials.

Panels, buttons, remotes, timers, wires, even a few suitcases were all over the floor. It was nearly impossible not to step on something at least once in just four feet. Natsu adapted to this condition (as well as his cat Happy of course. Gray's still working on it). He could easily maneuver around those miscellaneous things that covered almost every inch of his ground. Working with bombs really taught Natsu to keep himself on his toes, figuratively and literally.

The only thing that was really kept in order was the shelf of bombs that he's kept from his most prized disarming jobs. He keeps them on display as trophies. Natsu held a great passion for what he did, however strange that may be. While bombs seemingly only brought destruction, Natsu found that they could be helpful. He found the destruction that he caused, purposely or otherwise, was able to create something new, it could help people, save people, not just cause chaos, and that's something he thought was, in his words, _very_ cool.

Natsu turned on his shower and shimmied off his boxers before going into it. The water was scolding, steam puffed out of the shower like cigarette smoke. Natsu had a high tolerance for heat, maybe from his childhood days of playing with matches to keep himself entertained. His hands were extremely calloused from constantly burning his fingers, yet he never learned. He only became more fascinated with it. His fascination for matches grew into his fascination for bombs and now look at him, he was actually making a living off of it.

Natsu toweled himself off and changed into a surprisingly clean pair of boxers, pair of jeans he was pretty sure he wore yesterday and a dark red shirt that was the only one left hanging in his closet besides the baggy bomber jacket and white scarf he wore almost every day (both of which he also put on).

Natsu brushed his teeth and put on deodorant. Despite his lack of room and laundry maintenance, he wasn't a complete slob. He'd of course never disregard basic hygiene, but he would be too lazy to do laundry or pick up his room. Although, his main reason for the decent hygiene was that the girl's at Fairy Tail were ruthless and if his smell and appearance weren't to their liking, they wouldn't hesitate to shove him in a shower themselves.

Natsu picked up a handgun and shoved it into his back pocket, not even bothering to check if it was loaded cause he could tell by the weight of the gun. He then proceeded to scoop up his blue lump of a cat and carried him out of his room.

Natsu set the cat back onto the ground and began to walk towards the kitchen. Happy, probably realizing he was going to get fed, sprung to life and sped ahead of him. The blue and white cat sat intently in front of the empty bowl. This simple action made Natsu grin as he walked over to the fridge. He pulled out a tin of cat food. It was assorted fish flavor. Happy's favorite. Natsu snatched the cat bowl and dumped the chunky, rather intense smelling food, into it. Happy, whose impatience matched that of Natsu's, hopped onto the counter and ferociously began to chow down on the food as Natsu put it in the bowl.

"Get that damn cat off the counter Natsu." Gray retorted as he entered the kitchen, which was in surprisingly clean condition. Gray must've cleaned it. That wasn't to say Gray wasn't somewhat of a slob himself. He was plenty messy, just not as much as Natsu. Unlike his friend ( a term the two rarely used to describe their relationship due to the stubbornness of the both of them but one that was most certainly true), Gray didn't have as strong a tolerance to messiness. Which meant he ended up cleaning his room and practically the rest of the apartment apart from Natsu's room once a week. Sometimes more if there were guests and there often times were.

Gray was seemingly the opposite of his overbearing, hot-headed roommate. But in reality, they were very much alike. Both stubborn, overconfident, intense, insanely loyal, and neatly decorated with their own ribbon of eccentric. It was just that, Gray made it a point not to wear his emotions on his sleeve like Natsu did. Gray was a cold-headed person almost all of the time. It was his job to be that way. He was what was called an "Ice Agent".

He's on the inside of all the action but only partakes in it if necessary. He's the negotiator, the middleman. He shows no series emotion, and his primary goal is to come to an agreement or trick them into thinking they were coming to an agreement, whether that be through talking or through fighting.

Calm, cool, and collected defined the man perfectly on most occasions. But when he needs to fight, he's the perfect blend of intense power and cool confidence. Its when you fight Gray that you get to see his emotion. (That is, of course, if he isn't your friend. Then you get to experience times when the man is just as obnoxious as Natsu.) It hits you like a blizzard. Its strikingly cold and sends chills through your body.

This is unlike Natsu. His confidence and strength pour out of him constantly. It warms the air around him. When he fights, it multiplies. It was a blazing fire. Uncontained and uncontrolled and scolding. They were both two extremes. But everyone who knows them knows they bring a whole new meaning to the word "extreme". Each one of them was presumptuous to a fault, for better or for worse.

"Happy does what he wants. Besides he's not hurting anyone." Natsu leaned on the counter and scratched the cat's head.

"Yes, he his." Gray crumbled walking over to the counter and hoisting the cat off the counter. Happy gave an angry hiss, but it didn't affect Gray in the slightest. He grabbed the nearly empty bowl of cat food and set it on the floor. "I just cleaned the kitchen. I don't need that filthy cat on the counter."

"He's not filthy! I gave him a bath a month ago!" Natsu stated, squatting down to console his cat.

"Wow, you really spoil him don't you," Gray said with a smirk. Natsu got the feeling he just set himself up for something. "He gets a bath more often than you do." There it was. Natsu's eyebrow twitched. His insults weren't as good as Gray's, though, he would never admit that.

Gray had a way of finding the perfect insult for any situation. Natsu, well, he only managed insults that would be fitting of an elementary schoolyard fight. Natsu chose to merely give him a low growl, not wanting to set himself up for another blow by saying something. "What's the matter. You too dumb to come up with a comeback?" Natsu wrinkled his nose. His mouth tasted cold, but right in that back of his throat, there was something hot. Natsu grinned a deliciously devilish grin.

"You can keep going with the insults Gray." Natsu side glanced his roommate. "But I think a certain blue-haired stalker would like to have some intriguing pictures of you in the shower." Gray when computer paper white. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed the hotness down his throat.

"Blackmail." Gray scowled. "How and when you even got such a thing is beyond me." The truth was, Natsu didn't. But he most certainly _could_ get one. Gray should start locking the door when he showers.

"Victory!" Natsu shouted, shooting up from his previous squatting position. "You hear that Happy? Now you can walk on the counters all you want." Gray mumbled something under his breath that was most likely a nasty jab at Natsu. Natsu noted this, but feeling merciful, ignored it.

"We're gonna be late, Pinky," Gray grumbled walking towards the door. "Come on." Natsu grimaced. He knew right as they walked out of that door his roommate would go into work mode. When common people were around, he might as well be a statue. Completely frigid in every sense of the word. Even Natsu felt strange walking next to him. Gray with his clean freshly pressed suit of a very deep navy color and Natsu in his jeans and bomber jacket looked completely out of place together. Sometimes it looked like Natsu was stalking Gray or planning to steal his wallet.

"I'm so hungry." Natsu held his arm to his stomach as it gave a low rumble.

"We don't have enough time to get breakfast," Gray stated making it a point to check his watch. "We can't be late today, or Makorav with get angry with us. Again."

"Tsk. I swear you're trying to kill me." Natsu groaned. "Plus, I can't focus as well if I don't eat."

"You can hardly focus regardless," Gray said with his gaze planted forward. It almost didn't seem like he was talking to Natsu at all. His voice was completely monotone, but Natsu's mind automatically wove in the mocking tone the sentence would've taken on if Gray wasn't in work mode. "Maybe you should try getting up earlier." Natsu completely ignored that suggestion.

"That's not true. It's amazing what a bowl of scrambled eggs and siracha can do. It's like eating a bowl of .fire" Natsu made himself hungrier with the claim. His stomach grumbled again.

"Then what was your excuse yesterday? You had breakfast and lunch if I remember correctly." The pair turned the corner, their destination just down the street.

"What do you mean? It was a success wasn't it?" Natsu argued completely avoiding a very important detail. The two stayed quiet as they passed a few people.

"A building blew up," Gray stated flatly after they were several feet away from the pedestrians.

"There wasn't anyone in it."

"Yes, but you blew up a building Natsu, _again_. Thank goodness there weren't people in it, but even so, that kind of damage is expensive." Gray stated. The two roommates were only a few feet away from the familiar ridiculous looking bricked building.

"It's not that much of a problem. We have connections for that sort of thing." Natsu waved his hand in front of his face. He really didn't see the problem with it. Which might be why he's so reckless.

"Yeah, well, have fun telling Makarov the story," Gray stated turning into the pathway that led to the burnt orange doors.

"What? Why do I have to tell him?"

"I had nothing to do with that. It's your story to tell." Gray held open the door and Natsu stepped inside with a scowl. He waited for Gray to close the door before spreading out his arms defensively.

"What are you talking about polar dick! That was your fault." Natsu's voice raised now, his voice echoing throughout the building.

"My fault. That's hilarious flame brain. How was that _my_ fault? It was _your_ bomb that blew the building up. You were the one carrying that bomb. You're in charge of that sort of thing. Not me!" Safe inside the facility, Gray broke his work mode and allowed his own voice to rise and his face to crumble with annoyance.

"Yeah, but _you_ distracted me. Maybe if you did your job better I wouldn't have been paying attention to you but the bomb!" Gray huffed out a breath of hair that wasn't quite a laugh.

"You work with bombs, Natsu! You'd think you'd have a little more focus than that!"

"I just didn't eat enough food."

"We already established that you had breakfast and lunch. You'll surely blow up the planet today by that logic."

"I told you my focus was bad if I didn't eat, didn't I?"

"That's enough guys! We have a client." Natsu and Gray's mouth stopped mid-work and pressed into a firm line. They faced forward to the source of the voice but asserted their gaze to the unfamiliar woman that stood in front of the desk. She was pretty attractive. That was the first thought of both men.

She had a curvy figure that really made itself known with the pencil skirt and tight button down. Even so, the business casual look didn't seem to suit the girl. Not only that, but something about her appearance seemed slightly off. What could be seen of her smooth skin was the color of cocoa butter. Her face was heart shaped with a small narrow nose and soft pink lips that shone lightly with lip gloss.

Her eyes were large with long lashes that were made even more noticeable with mascara. Though, the most noticeable thing about her was her eyes which were very _very_ blue. The color seemed strangely out of place. Her hair was a light caramel color, but at the roots, her hair was a light blonde the color of candied lemons. Its was definitely dyed and was messily chopped just above her shoulders like she cut it herself.

When the woman's gaze broke from their's, Natsu began to stride forward. Gray quickly followed suit with a stoic expression fixed back onto his face at the site of a customer. Natsu slid his elbow onto the table and leaned laxly on it. He cocked his head so he could watch the girl's serious expression and the wisps of hair that tickled her soft flushed cheeks. He had a strange urge to touch the feathery strands. He raised his hand and took one in between his fingers without really thinking. He did that a lot. Maybe he was a bit to instinctive.

"Your hair's dyed," Natsu stated mindlessly. "Looks weird." He added after a moment so he wasn't simply stating the obvious. He regretted it instantly. The girl's too-blue eyes shot sharp icicles straight through the hot-blooded man. It was a look that could rival Gray's. His ears began to burn as he could feel what was coming. The dreaded comeback. Natsu knew now that this woman was someone who'd give it to him where it hurt. He clenched his teeth and braced himself.

"Says the guy with pink hair." There it was. Natsu was hit straight through the hair. Though the words were muttered, the sting was as punchy as ever. Natsu discovered something important that day; insults always hurt more when they came from strangers. Although, Natsu _was_ asking for it. And he _was_ being overdramatic. Any sane person would shrug it off, but Natsu knew how to hold a grudge, and a grudge he would hold against this woman he didn't even know the name of. He glowered at the woman and ran his fingers through his hair, as usual, without realizing it. His ears tingled as he heard her throat clear. _Just you wait, lady. I'll get my payback._ Natsu's inner stupid croaked like a little toad and scratched the back of his throat.

"So, how can we help you?" Lisanna sweetly said as Natsu stared at her now. Natsu had no doubt that Lisanna, too, was silently mocking him. The girl always was nice in front of strangers, but he knew once the woman was gone, she would mercilessly tease him. Granted, her teasing was much less harsh than that of his other colleagues and she was always first to defend him.

"I'm actually here to start working. I had an interview the other day and got the job. I was told to start work on Monday." Natsu's ears twitched at the statement. He looked back at her, interested. _How could someone like her land a job here? I'd get so many more chances to pay her back though_ . . . The little voice inside Natsu hissed again. Natsu glanced back at Lisanna, who looked confused. Natsu leaned inward more intrigued than before.

"Really? This is the first I've heard…" Lisanna stated. "What position did you apply for?"

"Just a receptionist," Lucy stated. _A receptionist? That's no fun._ "My name's Anna Love. I was interviewed by Mr. Mine after sending in an application and he gave me the job pretty much on the spot." _Anna Love? What a fun little name that is . . ._ He had the urge to comment on it but withheld.

"I can see why…" Gray, who had been pretty quiet, stated with a devilish smile. A comment like that was always funnier said in his stoic work-mode voice. Natsu fought off the urge to roll around on the ground and laugh his ass off. He would have cracked if Miss Anna Love had reacted, but unfortunately, she didn't. However, he noted the tightening grip around her purse. That gave both men some satisfaction.

"I'm really sorry, but no one gets a job here unless they are approved by President Makarov. I'm afraid Wakaba jumped the gun a little bit." Lisanna smiled apologetically. Miss Love looked very distraught, but that wasn't enough to get sympathy from Natsu. Lisanna sure, she was a better person, but not Natsu, not with that grudge on his mind. Sweet, sweet revenge. _Karma is a bitch._ Natsu was devilishly hoping she'd break down in tears, but instead, she eased completely. Natsu tasted something sour in his mouth.

"I guess it's fine." Ms. Love sighed.

"Write you're name and number down and I'll talk to Makarov and Wakaba. I promise to get back to you as soon as possible." This was completely out of sympathy. A normal civilian like her had no chance of getting a job like this. He watched how she scribbled down her name and noted how she messily wrote an L-U-C before pausing, scribbling it out, and writing A-N-N-A instead. She turned and walked towards the door. Not able to resist the temptation, he followed her.

"That sucks, Ann. Such a tough break." Natsu stated deviously. He caught a glimpse of the weak smile she gave the comment. "First time in the city? Did ya run away from home?" Natsu saw her eyes twitch as she quickened her pace. Did he hit a nerve?

"That's really none of your business." _Ooo, I did. Miss Anna Love's hiding something._

"Sorry, sorry. Just curious. Well, good luck, Anna Love. Hope things work out for ya." Natsu stated, feeling a bit more merciful than before. Though, the woman probably took it as sarcasm. She passed the threshold and Natsu decided not to pursue her any further.

"Yeah, I do too." Natsu smiled. His grudge was relieved. He successfully pissed the woman off. He laughed to himself as he walked back over to Lisanna, Gray, and Kinana, who was talking so quietly on the phone that he'd forgotten she was there.

"You get so defensive when it comes to your hair, Natsu. You're such a little boy." Lisanna laughed. Natsu shrugged.

"Eh, she had it coming."

"She was pretty hot though. Can't really blame Wakaba for hiring her." Gray stated.

"I ought to have a word with him. We aren't even hiring. No doubt the ad was just an excuse for him to have one on one time with poor young ladies looking for a job." Lisanna shook her head gravely.

Kinana, who finally hung up the phone, rested her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand.

"I feel kind of bad for her. Poor thing must be having a terrible day. You were pretty ruthless Natsu, especially since you were the one who insulted her first." Kinana stated. Lisanna nodded in agreement. Natsu's face scrunched up, trying to hide the regret that was beginning to surface.

"Not to mention both of your constant oglings." Lisanna shook her head.

"I don't know how you fool so many people with that frigid act, Gray. On top of that unfortunate stripping habit, you're a complete perv." Kinana teased.

"I'm not a perv. I'm just a guy with eyes."

"Still doesn't explain the stripping problem." Natsu tsked.

"I'm not the one that gets off on explosives." Gray crossed his arms over his suit.

"I _do not_ get off on explosives."

The bubbling argument that surely would've lasted an hour at the least was cut short by the obnoxious ringing of the telephone. Kinana answered it before it could get a second round in.

"Hello, this is the Fairy Tail Agency. Here to help with any special situations that threaten the safety of the general public. How can we help you?" Kinana recited effortlessly like she'd done thousands of times. "Oh, Master Makarov, it's you. How can I help you?" Natsu ground his teeth nervously. "I see. Yes . . . Alright, I'll send them up immediately, sir. Have a good day . . . I will. Thank you, sir . . . Oh, and sir, there's a situation with Makaba that should be discussed whenever you have a free moment . . . No, nothing completely terrible. Just his usual hijinks . . . Alright, sir. Goodbye then."

"Oh great," Gray muttered.

"Looks like the two of you are in some trouble, huh." Lisanna snickered.

"Makarov says to meet him up in his office, asap," Kinana smirked. Natsu groaned while Gray sighed. They both walked forward in defeat and slight dread. Gray and Natsu went up the short flight of stairs, then took the elevator all the way up to the top floor, which was completely reserved for the offices of the most important S-class employees of which they both loathed, loved, and respected all at the same time.

Makarov's office was at the very end of the hallway. Every walk down said hallway was either full of anticipation, absolute dread, or anxiety. Natsu had been down the hallway many times of course. By now he was almost used to it. Almost. And Gray, well Gray wasn't concerned at all. He planned to throw Natsu under the bus. Natsu almost barrelled into the office before Gray swiftly held his arm out and knocked three hefty knocks on the door. Natsu rolled his eyes at this.

"Come in." Makarov's old and hardy voice came muffled through the heavy wooden door. Gray opened the door and walked in, not bothering to hold for Natsu. The two young men stood stiffly and awkwardly in front of the short pruney old man in a bright orange suit. To anyone else, he'd look extremely silly, but Natsu and Gray knew better than that. "Please, boys, take a seat." They nodded their heads up and down in obedience.

"What would you like to talk to us about, sir." Natsu managed to give a smile, which probably wasn't the best thing to do. Makarov's bushy eyebrows furrowed.

"I think you know, Natsu."

"I didn't mean to blow up the building. And really it Gray's—" Natsu was cut off by Gray's sharp elbow bone digging into his rib.

"It doesn't matter. The fact is that the building blew up. I'm sure you know the Crime Council is keeping a tight grip on our agency and others like it. Well, the word has been getting around to them about the damage you've been causing. They're becoming concerned." Makarov leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"Is that so?" Natsu laughed nervously. "And what does that mean for us?"

"What it means Natsu is that you can't make any more stupid mistakes," Gray stated sharply. Makarov cleared his throat.

"Unfortunately, you're not off the hook either Gray. None of us are. Fairy Tail is officially on probation. Natsu, you are a prime perpetrator. In their eyes, you're an explosive-happy arsonist with a short temper."

"Probation?" Natsu scoffed. "What the hell is that supposed to mean!"

"It means that we can't afford to be reckless right now. And it also means we have to suck up to the Crime Council until they're off our backs. " Makarov said his voice rising in frustration.

"Tsk. This is so stupid. We're doing what we need do to keep people safe. What's it matter that a few eyesore building are damaged when they could've been people that were killed in their stead." Natsu crossed his arms and bit his lip with his sharp canines.

"I can't say I disagree, Natsu. But those things do cost money, and, frankly, we aren't in a position to argue." Makarov stated. He paused. "That's all I wanted to inform you about Gray, so you may leave. I want Natsu to stay a bit longer." Gray gave a rare look of concern towards Natsu, stood up, patted his roommates back, and walked out of the door.

"Yeah? What else is there." Natsu rubbed his hands against his jeans angrily.

"Whether you care to admit it or not, Natsu, you are a prime perpetrator of the mishaps like I said before. The Crime Council already has their doubts about you, you know. _That boy is too reckless. You must keep him on a tight lease, Makarov. He's more a criminal than an agent._ That's what they say, Natsu."

Natsu clenched his fists and bowed his head down. His face twists with pure rage.

"If that's what everyone thinks of me, then why not fire me. Are they afraid I'll turn on them and become a criminal? Is that it? I'm just a ticking time bomb to them, right? How ironic…" Natsu felt like crying, but of course, he didn't.

"They don't know you like we do, Natsu. We know you're better than what they say, you just have to show _them_ that. But you won't be able to do that if you're not more careful. That being said, the Crime Council gave me no choice. You're suspended for a week, and when you come back, you can only take small jobs and not alone. They demanded I give some sort of punishment, you're lucky this is all."

Natsu was completely appalled and completely, utterly, furious.

"You've got to be freaking kidding me!" Natsu slammed his fists on the desk. "That's not fair!"

"Natsu, please. There's no use in arguing. You'll only be out of action for a week. So just take it. Fairy Tail's facilities will still be open to you. You can use that time to train." Natus ground his teeth together and plopped back down in his seat.

"Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?" Natsu forced out.

"No, that's all."

"Great, then if you'd mind I'm going to excuse myself for today." Natsu shot up before hearing his response and stomped the whole way back down the stairs. He shoved right past Gray and the others who studied him in concern. He continued his way straight out the door.

This day did not go at all how he expected, and he hadn't even been awake for two hours.

 **...**

 **[Lucy Heartfilia aka Anna Love]**

Lucy made her way to the bank where she kept a small portion of her savings. Definitely not all of it. It was inconvenient to reach if she needed to leave in a hurry, plus there's always a chance of robbery. She hated to admit it, but she learned a thing or two from being her father's daughter.

One such topic was how to hide and protect your money. She supposed she might as well not have a bank account at all, but it gave some sense of normalcy to her life. Plus, it made her false identity more believable. After all, any normal working woman with nothing to hide has a bank account and a credit card. And Anna Love was certainly a completely ordinary young working woman. Lucy Heartfilia, on the other hand, not so much. Oh, and of course, she had to have a way to cash her checks for her new job, if she still had it that is.

She gripped her purse tightly as she crossed the road. She was secretly hoping a car would hit her. Alas, fate wasn't on her side today. That was pretty apparent. That Pinkett idiot only made her anger worse. His cocky smile kept flashing in her mind, and, each time it did, she felt a very strong urge to punch the person closest to her in the face.

"Just curious. The nerve of that asshole. You don't go around asking those kinds of questions." Lucy's anger mostly came from the fact that he found her out so quickly. She sighed. She needed to keep her composure. She didn't have the spirit to go job hunting again, at least not today. She didn't want a part-time or a minimum wage job, but at this point, she'd be willingly for anything. That was one of the reason's she was so grateful to have landed the job she did. A receptionist made more than a barista to say the least. She still held onto hope to find an office or desk job, but without a college degree, her options were limited.

Sometimes she wondered what her life would be like if her father had been normal. Maybe her mother would've been alive. Maybe she could've made more friends, became popular in school, won prom queen, had a hot soccer-player boyfriend, and maybe even had been valedictorian. Then go off to University abroad on a full ride and become a famous writer and college professor with two kids and a surgeon husband.

She bit her lip. There was no use in dreaming about what could've been. That's not how things are, so it's completely pointless in getting swept away with such fantasies. She knew that. Still, she couldn't help but dream about it at night, if she wasn't having her usual nightmares.

She tilted her head up to the large silver buildings. They laughed at her as they shot down their knowing gazes. They surrounded her like a cage. For a moment, her heart seized. She hated that. She hated being trapped. For a moment, for a small moment, she felt like running again. She felt like escaping. Then, the sun peeked from the clouds, and its long arms ricocheted off the buildings glossy surface down into her chocolate irises that were thickly hidden now with blue. She had a tiny feeling in her heart that told her there was something here for her.

Realizing she'd been standing still, she continued striding forward. She brushed her short, newly caramel hair behind her ear. She smirked a bit as someone catcalled her. She couldn't help but be secretly flattered for a second or two before shooting them a dirty look. The event made her remember an old friend.

She frowned and reached for her phone. She gripped it tightly. She wished there was a missed call from Leo so she had an excuse to call him, or better yet, she wished he'd call right now. He was the only friend she was able to talk to in a long time. It made her realize how much she missed them. They were always there for her through everything. She wished she could thank them or just know if they were okay.

She looked down to her feet and watched them stride across the concert. She mindlessly bumped into people but didn't hear their angered remarks. She thought she could do this. She thought she'd be strong enough to make it on her own. But if this morning was any indication of what was to come, she'd fall apart in no time.

She had been walking around aimlessly for long enough. She was hungry, and she didn't have any cash on her. She'd avoided getting to her destination long enough. She turned around the street corner and walked straight for a good five minutes before finally arriving at the bank.

It was a fat and short building, but with its sleek exterior, it still managed to blend in well with the other buildings, unlike that of a particular building that she's come to think even more unpleasantly of. She looked down at her feet in shame. It usually wasn't like her to be so spiteful.

She walked forward towards the building and opened the glass door. The whole lobby of the bank could be seen since the front walls were made of thick glass that Lucy observed was bulletproof. The bank had a plain yet modern look to it, a similar aesthetic to her apartment.

It was professional and clean, she fit right in with the other normal working-class city goers standing in the short line to one of the front desks. She stood behind a woman with sharp and angular black hair wearing a pantsuit and two small boys (around six, and definitely twins) bouncing impatiently tugging on their mother's newly dry-cleaned clothing.

"I wanna sucker. I wanna sucker. I wanna sucker."

"Me too. Me too. Me too." One of the boy's eyes caught something and his eyes beamed even brighter than before.

"Mom, there's a gumball machine! Can we have a quarter? Please?"

"Pretty please and thank you!"

The boys chanted. Their mother, upon receiving looks from the bankers and the other people in line, patted the boys' heads gently while delivering a harsh _Be quiet now or you won't get anything. And I don't have any money, that's why I'm here_ , in a hushed voice. Lucy couldn't help but smile at that.

It couldn't help but bring up memories of her own mother. Luckily, she couldn't think about them long enough to think about the sad parts, as one of the little twins poked her in the leg. Lucy snapped out of her momentary daze and looked down at him. He had a freckled face and big eyes just like his brother, but his were a deep green and his brother's were brown. She'd become accustomed to picking up details about things and people. She noticed she'd unconsciously take note of things and miraculously pull them out of the files in her mind without realizing she'd ever known.

"Hey, do you have a quarter?" The boy inquired. His twin turned immediately upon hearing the mention of a quarter.

"Do you have _two_ quarters?" Lucy smiled and bent down to the small boys' level.

"Let me check." She opened her purse and dug through it. She knew she had plenty of change since she never wanted to bother digging out the exact about of change to pay for things. Which, she supposed turned out to be a good thing for moments like this or anytime there was one of those charity donation boxes. She found four hefty and cold quarters in the bottom of her purse and pulled them out. She laughed at the way the small boys' eyes gleamed with wonderment. "Here you go. Two for each of you."

"Thank you!"

"Double thank you!"

"Hurry and go get those gumballs before your mom finds out." She gave them a wink and the boys nodded confidently. They snuck off together to the other side of the room. She watched them with a half smile.

The scene, the deliciously sweet and cute scene, was ruined in very sudden and very frightening moment as the ring of a gunshot rang out. There was a familiar faint humming in her ears. Her heart burned and thumbed, pounding vigorously against her ribcage.

 _They found me._

 _They already found me._

She hadn't realized, but she had scoured to the ground with the others. Everyone looked like so small. Their hands shook as they covered their heads.

"My sons. Where are my sons." She heard the mother in front of her whimpering, but she didn't look up. She was too afraid to. A huge chill ran through Lucy. The icy burn of guilt.

"Everyone keeps their heads down and hands off their phones or these boys get it." The voice boomed out. Lucy turned her head, she too, shaking now. Two men in all black held onto the boys, covering their mouths tightly. The boys' tears soaked into the filthy fabric of the gloves on their hands. Lucy bit her lip. Where had they come from? And why hadn't she noticed before? There was one other man, wearing a back suit and a ski mask. It was a peculiar site, but that was the last of the things she needed to be worrying about. She waited for them to say it, the words she most dreaded, _Where is Lucy Heartfilia._ But they didn't come.

"There's a bomb in this bank strong enough to bring down this whole building, and the buildings around it. If you cooperate, your lives will be spared." She swallowed. That's peculiar. There was something off. This bank wasn't the target. It was the buildings around it. The bank was in the middle of three very tall buildings. If there were a strong enough explosion, it could bring all three buildings down all at once.

She didn't know the functions or names of any of them, in fact, one of them was supposedly abandoned. She assumed they were company buildings or whatever else. But what would be the point in destroying them? She was over analyzing this. It didn't matter why they were doing it. She needed to stop it. But she wasn't sure how. The men were armed. No matter how good Lucy was at combat, she didn't have much of a chance against three armed men. She had to try, didn't she? It was her fault that the twins were in danger. She had to do something. She raised her head slowly.

"Hey! Lady! Head down." One of the men shouted. Lucy raised her arms next slowly, defensively, unsuspiciously.

"Get down! Or we shoot one!" Lucy swallowed and steadily stood up. These guys weren't like the criminals she's encountered. She knew they were bluffing. They wouldn't kill the boys. Certainly not directly. These weren't crazy criminals. These guys were organized enough. They had a goal. These kinds of guys went against killing woman and children if they could avoid it. They use empty threats and fear to manipulate the crowd.

"I told you! Get. Down."

Lucy managed a smile. She just hoped it was the right one. She stuck out her hip cockily. She wasn't sure what she was trying to accomplish. Surely, her sex appeal was going get these guys to completely abandon the goal. But maybe it would distract them some. Maybe.

"Guys. Don't you think it's a bit dirty to hold little boys as hostages? It's completely cruel. Disgustingly dirty. I mean wouldn't you much rather have a beautiful busty young woman pressed against you wiggling in your grasp." She couldn't believe what was coming out of her mouth. She was appalled by her own words, yet she couldn't control them. She felt her shoulders bend back slightly, and, at one point, her collared shirt unbuttoned a few.

"Looky here boys. We have a cocky minx thinking she can get what she wants with sex appeal."

She placed her hands on her hips and grinned. "What? You don't like what you see?"

"You best stop talking now, lady. We will shoot these boys if you don't cooperate."

"Tsk. Will you now?" Lucy said. This was risky. Maybe too risky. She needed to make her move soon. "You know what I think?"

"We don't care what you think."

"I think that you're bluffing. You aren't really _bad_ bad guys. You wouldn't kill a child."

"Oh yeah," He pressed the gun against one of the boy's heads and his eyes go wide. She had been able to drown out the background noise before, but now the cries of the mother we unhearable.

"Shoot. I dare you." His finger pressed the trigger, but there was hesitation. That's what she needed. She'd been getting closer to them unconsciously. They were small steps. She didn't even notice she was taking them. Neither did they. _Amateurs._ She took one quick stride forward grabbed the man's wrist. She raised it toward the ceiling and a shot rang out. She twisted the guy's arms behind his back.

The man grabbed at her with his other arm, releasing the young boy. He ran immediately to his mother who held him tightly in her arms both crying, for a moment, a terribly small moment, forgetting about the other twin. After that moment of relief, they placed their terrified eyes back on the three men, the boy with a gun placed against his head, and Lucy, who also now had a gun pressed chillingly onto her temple.

"Someone's not an ordinary working woman, now is she." The suited man grumbled. "Don't tell me you work for those stupid fairies."

"What the hell are you talking about? This isn't a storybook. I don't work for anyone. But, I'm horribly curious to know who you work for." Lucy stated. This was a terrible thrill. She hated that she somewhat enjoyed the feeling.

"That's the least of your worries, woman. You got one half of the pair, but now it seems you've got yourself in a pickle." The man with the boy laughed. She gripped the guy she held tighter to ease her anger.

"I've been in worse," Lucy stated. Which was true. Even so, she wasn't sure how she was going to get out of this. Three men, three guns, three buildings full of people, and one very dangerous bomb that she didn't have the skills to disarm, even if she did manage to take down these guys.

With how fate had been treating her today, she feared this would all fall apart in her hands.

 **...**

 **[Natsu Dragneel aka Salamander]**

It was a rather peculiar scene, to say the least. Natsu was walking, or stomping rather, down the sidewalk. A spicy chilly dog was clenched in his hand when he saw a small ground gathering in front of a building. As people passed, they immediately joined the crowd and watched with terrified expressions. People's curiosity is terrible, isn't it? Natsu, swallowing the last of his chilly dog and wiping his mouth with his sleeve, strutted over there not able to overcome his interest. He couldn't see very much of anything but the back of people's' heads. He grumbled and pushed through the crowd.

He was pretty surprised, no, very surprised, to see several human-shaped lumps cowering on the ground and a familiar busty blonde in a rather troublesome looking threesome. He couldn't help but want to laugh at the expression the feisty Miss Love was making. Which made him feel like a terrible person considering the circumstance.

He pulled his gun out of his jeans, ready to jump in and save the day. But he hesitated a moment, not because he still held a grudge against the blondie, but because he wasn't allowed to. _You're suspended for a week._ He shook his head. No, this wasn't a job. He wasn't being paid. He needed to do something that was for sure. With the sudden wonder of how Anna Love got herself into that mess, he busted brilliantly inside, gun raised and a fiery look in his eyes. Anna's eyes flicked to him with a strange look of trust.

"What in the name of all that is holy is going on here, Anna Love," Natsu stated. _And why the hell has no police arrived_ , was his next thought, but that one didn't make it out of his mouth as Miss Love took that opportunity to give a hardy kick behind her, directly into the man's baby makers. _Nice one. Very nice one._ Natsu charged forward and released the kid from the man and managed to hold the guy's arms behind his back faster than the man could even put his finger on the trigger. The gun dropped to the ground. The sound of sirens could be distantly heard.

"We should talk," Natsu whispered to the dirty blonde.

"While I'm terribly curious as to why you carry around a gun and have incredibly good combat skills, I have zero desire to talk to you." She hissed.

"Egh. Don't be like that. I might be able to give you a job offer." Natsu stated. Anna's eyes widened, but for a completely different reason than his offer.

"There's a bomb!" She exclaimed like she'd just discovered the news, though Natsu suspected she'd just forgotten.

"There's a bomb?" Natsu asked.

"Yes, yes, a bomb!" Her worry made him laugh. The bomb would be no problem.

"Oh, look, the police finally decided to arrive."

"Were you even listening to me?" Anna sounded more confused than worried now.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about the bomb. I'll take care of it. You just tell the police what happened,"

Maybe Natsu would warm up to Anna Love. She seemed to be full of surprises.

 **-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-**

And that's the end. This took absolutely forever to complete and to edit, but I think its worth it. Now I can get back to editing and writing for my other stories that have been neglected to conjure up this baby.

I know I had to change a lot for everything to work into this AU, but I hope it still kinda feels like Fairy Tail.

* * *

A few things to note:

\- Set in present day with modern technology

\- It's in a universe where Fiore is a country existing with the ones that exist in the real world. (It'd be probably somewhere in Eurasia, probably South East Russia diagonal from Japan.)

\- I'm gonna use dollars as a unit of money, just because its easiest for me to use.

* * *

It'd be greatly appreciated if you told me what you think. And if you have any questions, go ahead and ask them, because I love answering.

I hope to finish the next chapter soon(ish), but I plan on making them longer chapters than I usually do for my stories, as well as implement more intensive editing, so it might take a bit of time. Be patient with me!


	2. Chapter 2

Well, hellooooo, guys. I know, it has been a hot second, hasn't it? I've lost touch, but I found my way back babes, don't fret.

High school really will be the death of me, I swear to god.

*Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail*

 **-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-oo-o-o-**

 **The Lunch, the Ice Demon, and the Lion**

 **...**

 **[Lucy Heartfilia aka Anna Love]**

Lucy chewed feverishly on her straw as the pink haired man demon ordered spicy dish after spicy dish. She was sneering as intensely as she could at him, hoping he'd make eye contact and take a hint, but he only focused on his growling stomach. She didn't realize what she'd gotten herself into when she told the guy to order whatever he wanted. She shouldn't have even offered to buy him lunch in the first place, but in the moment she was so happy that everything worked out that she was feeling generous. Now, she was in a booth at a restaurant she's never been in before with a guy she's barely had one conversation with. She twisted the thin plastic in between her teeth, wishing desperately for some more iced tea, preferably spiked with some tequila and vodka. Actually, forget the tea and the ice, just the alcohol. Maybe then she could drown out the agonizing wails of her bank account.

By the time the guy finished ordering and the baffled waitress turned to her, she couldn't bring herself to order anything. The bill was certainly high enough. Everything the guy ordered could've fed her for a week.

"I'll pass." Lucy plastered a smile on her face, trying to make it seem like she was fine with what just happened. "I'll take a few more teas though whenever you get the chance." The waitress gave a weak smile and nodded gravely. No doubt she was present when Lucy told Pinkie, "Order whatever you'd like, it's on me." The waitress walked away, and Lucy felt like she'd lost her only friend in this dark time.

"So, you're a big eater . . . " Lucy had to say _something_. She wasn't just gonna let that slide without noting it. The guy slurped on his straw, the carbonated sweetness of Coca-Cola filling up his mouth. He gulped it with a slight wince as the soda burned his throat.

"Well, yeah. Sorry if I ordered too much. I didn't have breakfast today, and well, you _did_ tell me to get whatever I wanted. Plus, I _did_ pretty much save your life. I mean, without me you wouldn't be ordering anything." Pinkie rested his elbows on the table and cutely put his chin into his folded hands. He gave a mocking smile. His millennial pink hair fell forward and tickled his forward. He knew this was killing her, didn't he? She was pissed. She hated that this guy was getting to her the way he was. Lucy closed her eyes for a moment, suppressing the frustration that was crawling at her throat ever so voraciously.

"It's . . . fine." Lucy managed. They sat and stared each other down for several long moments. Who would address the elephant in the room first?

"I'm Natsu, by the way. Natsu Dragneel." _Pinkie suits him better._ Lucy scoffed in her head. Though, she didn't say it out loud. She was a bit more wary of getting on this guy's bad side now.

"And I'm Anna Love, as you already know." She was surprised when Natsu stuck out his hand for a shake. After staring at his large calloused hands for a few seconds too long, she finally took it. His firm skin scratched her palm. He gave her hand a light squeeze before breaking the handshake. Lucy watched his dark eyes. They were darker than her own, but his irises seemed small. It was almost impossible to tell whether or not they were black or deep brown. As she looked at them longer she noticed fleck of an amber color.

"You're staring at me, ya know. Its kinda creepin' me out." Upon the statement, Lucy immediately looked passed him and put her chin on her hands trying to hide her flushed face.

"You're one to talk. Don't think I didn't notice your guys' ogling earlier. I'm not an idiot you know, unlike some people here." Lucy muttered this into her hand, but her words were as sharp as glass. However, this time, Natsu had grown tougher skin, if that even was possible with the many callouses he sported. He gave an amused laugh and shrugged.

"And ya weren't complaining till now when it's convenient. Don't tell me you _enjoyed_ it, Anna Love." Natsu smirked and leaned forehead, enjoying egging her own. Lucy stared daggers at the pink haired guy. Her whole face burned. She bit the inside of her cheek and sighed. She had to pick her battles. She didn't have to win every fight, she only needed to win the war.

"So, Natsu, I think I overheard something about you blowing up a building earlier. What's the story with that?" Lucy tilted her head sweetly and gave a big brilliant smile. She was surprised at how effective it seemed to be, for Natsu's face fell immediately. He looked like he was eating a lemon. Lucy could clearly see the anger behind his eyes. Surely, something must've happened. Lucy really, _really_ wanted to know what caused Pinkie so much pain. He could get a dose of his own medicine. That crazy sadist was really enjoying her humiliation at that Fairy Tail place. "Oh no. Don't tell me I hit a nerve."

Lucy could tell the guy was grinding his teeth into tiny knives so that he might eat her alive. Even so, he didn't scare her. For some reason, she didn't think this guy would hurt a fly, that is if it didn't deserve it. "A little, yeah." He growled. She found weirdly cute somewhere deep inside her. Her eyes twinkled with delight.

"You wanna talk about it?" Lucy said in a baby voice while giving Natsu a sickening pitying expression. Lucy jumped back when the guy stood and slammed his hands on the table.

"It wasn't my fault!" He started off yelling, but then began muttering something about an orange dwarf and an ice princess that she couldn't quite make out. Natsu's tangent was stopped short when the waitress arrived with two plates of food, with a line of other waiters trailing behind her. Natsu, visibly embarrassed, sat down. Lucy's eyes watched as plate after plate was set down onto the table.

When he began eating, he became noticeably more relaxed. Lucy watched dubiously as he scarfed down his food like a starved pig. She made sure the guy took breaks to breathe and handed him napkins so that his face wasn't caked with hot sauce and rice. Such gestures he probably didn't deserve after butchering her bank account and firing various verbal assaults at her.

When he was done eating, which was a great amount faster than it should've taken with that much food, he leaned back in the booth and let out a long and low burp that Lucy winced all the way through. She gave him a weak smile.

"You can have my side salad if you want. It comes with it, but I'm not much of a fan of greens." Lucy smiled weakly. _How very . . . generous._ She wanted to give the sarcastic comment out loud, but she didn't want to get into another verbal assassination. Even though they were petty and stupid, they still did damage. It was like being murdered by a cucumber. A stupid weapon, sure, but it did damage just the same.

"Thanks," She said simply instead. Natsu gave a toothy smile, maybe the first real one she'd seen from him, and slid the salad across the table. Lucy squeezed the vinegarette onto the salad while she could feel Natsu's eyes on her.

"I got suspended for a week," Natsu said suddenly. Lucy looked up in surprised and slightly confused. He leaned back in his chair with his hands on his fluffy pink hair. _It kinda looks like cotton candy._ Lucy liked this a lot more than bickering with him. It seemed food put him into a better mood. The thought made her giggle to herself in her head.

"From your job?" Lucy asked before taking a bite of the salad. She was actually incredibly grateful for Natsu's gesture. She was starving. Natsu nodded gravely. Lucy swallowed and bowed her head some. "Because you blew up the building?" She whispered. Natsu closed his eyes for a second, most likely cooling himself off.

"Yeah, well, let's just say it wasn't my first slip up." Natsu managed to laugh. The longer he had to sit on it, the stupider it began to seem to him.

"So that's your job then? You're like an arsonist?" Natsu winced at the last question.

"I don't like to call it arson. I mostly locate and disarm bombs. I handle grenade and smoke bombs and things too. I can also make them if the situation calls for it." Natsu said, his voice barely loud enough for Lucy to hear. Lucy nodded her head slowly.

"You're not like a criminal or anything . . . Fairy Tail isn't a—" Lucy began.

"What? A crime organization?" Natsu laughed. "No, no, no." She eased immediately.

"So you're the opposite then. You fight crime?"

"Pretty much."

"That's pretty noble of you. You're like superheroes." Lucy laughed resting her head on her fist. "But are you sure it's wise to be telling _me_ this." It was Natsu's turn to laugh.

"If I'm honest, probably not. But, you know, take risks first and deal with the consequences later."

"Hmph, it's that kind of thinking that gets you blowing up buildings."

"Right, right. I've been told." Natsu waved his hand in front of his face in dismissal. "Anywho, you've got some explaining to do yourself, Miss Love."

"Oh, it's a terribly long boring story."

"I really don't think it would be boring. Long maybe, but boring, I'm not so sure."

"Well, you got me there. Unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to say."

"Eh, thought so. But a guy can try." Natsu gave a sideways smile. "Besides, no doubt I'll find out eventually."

"I don't think so. You won't have the opportunity." Lucy took a long drink of her tea. "While I'm grateful for your help back there and this lunch was simply a _pleasure,_ I don't intend to see you around."

"Wait, wait, hold on. You're kidding right?" Natsu scratched his head in confusion. "I was gonna give you a legit job offer to."

"I'm flattered. But I really don't think Fairy Tail is quite the kind of job I'm looking for." Lucy waved over the waitress for the bill. It felt like she'd been here forever and she was getting impatient. She didn't need Pinkie poking around in her business. "I'm looking for something a bit more normal."

"Why would you go and do a thing like that?" Natsu scoffed. "Normal is boring after all."

"No, normal is safe. Whatever the hell your doing is _not_ safe, that's for sure."

"Says the girl who challenged a trio of robbers."

"Just because I prefer to be safe when I can doesn't mean I'll be a coward when things get dangerous."

They were interrupted as the waitress placed the bill on the table. Lucy looked at it without dallying. Her heart dropped to her toes at the sight of the price. Natsu snatched it from her and raised his eyebrows.

"Hm, its less than usual." He began to reach into his pocket. "I'll pay for it." Lucy should've argued, but she really didn't want to. The bill was crazy expensive.

"We'll go halfsies." Lucy croaked. The sentence pained her to get out. Even half was much too much.

"If you insist." Natsu laughed. Lucy put down her credit card and nearly fell out of the booth when he pulled out a large wad of cash an became to count through his hundreds. He pulled out one and a fifty and placed it next to the card. "I got the tip." Lucy shrugged and snickered.

"Knock yourself out."

They sat in silence as the waited for the waitress to bring back Lucy's card. When the waitress finally arrived, Lucy grabbed her card and immediately stood up. Natsu, frazzled by how much of a hurry the girl was in, grabbed a napkin and the waitresses pen and quickly scribbled down some numbers. Lucy watched with an unplaceable expression on her face. He gave the napkin to her.

"Give me a call if you change your mind or if you ever find yourself in another dangerous situation."

"I won't call you. So don't count on it." She pushed his hand away.

"Aw, come on. Humor me." Natsu gave her a charming smile that she couldn't say no to. She took the napkin without another word and walked off. She could feel Pinkie's eyes watching her.

 _I outta throw this napkin away_. She groaned in her head. _That guy is nothing but trouble._

 _..._

 **[Gray Fullbuster aka Ice Demon]**

Gray watched wide-eyed as Natsu stormed out of the building. He was pretty sure he could feel the fumes of heat radiating off of him. He was certainly going to be a ball of sunshine when he got back to the apartment. Gray sighed and shook his head. He wasn't exactly sure what went down when he left, but he had a pretty damn good idea. It was pretty easy to make Natsu mad, but genuinely pissed was a difficult feat.

"He seems angry. That's not good. Guess he didn't get breakfast." Lisanna shook her head. "I can't say it was the wrong decision to make though. Natsu has been pretty reckless lately. More than usual."

"Yeah, well we haven't had a lot of jobs lately. We used to be so busy with things just inside Magnolia, but now we have to get all around Fiore to keep everyone busy." Kinana stated.

"I think it's got him anxious. Natsu always fancied the bigger jobs. Always needs to be kept busy. Plus, jobs involving explosives are hard to come by. It's been forcing him to hone other things to make him feel helpful. I don't know if he's out of practice or just too eager to do a job." Gray stated.

"He's such an idiot sometimes. Maybe it'd do him good to take a break from all this stuff. It's all he ever thinks about." Lisanna sighed.

Gray shook his head. "You know how Natsu is. He'll spend every waking moment training or tinkering with his explosives, no doubt about that."

"It's a good thing Erza and the guys are still on duty out of the city. They won't be back for a couple of days unless they finish the job early." Lisanna stated. Gray and Kinana nodded. Erza especially would've gotten on Natsu for his screw up. And at this moment in time, he really didn't need that. As for the other idiots, Natsu would be quick to pick a fight with them and possibly get into even more trouble. His friends really did know how to work him up, even when it seemed like he couldn't get any angrier.

They stood in silent concern for their friend before Lisanna broke the silence.

"Levy is coming back this afternoon. It's been so desolate here with everyone gone, it'll be nice to have Shadow Gear around." Lisanna stated changing the subject.

"Did you hear from her? What it successful? I meant to text her, but I forgot." Kinana stated.

"She said it went excellently, which, considering our situation, is wonderful news."

"You can always count on the Book Worm that's for sure." Gray laughed. "Always the responsible one."

"True that. Even so, I want everyone to get here soon so we can tell them the news." Lisanna sighed.

"Yeah, there's no telling how many things they're destroying, and they don't even use bombs," Kinana stated.

"Good luck getting everyone here at the same time nowadays." Gray scoffed. "I haven't seen Thunder Legion in months."

"They're still all the way in Mexico doing god only knows what." Lisanna exasperated.

"Aw, you miss Bixlow?" Gray snickered. Lisanna flushed red.

"Why do you guys always make that stupid joke! We hardly ever even speak to each other."

"Well, Mira and Laxus hardly speak to each other, but there's clearly some serious sexual tension."

"You're lucky neither one is here to hear you say that." Kinana smiled and shook her head.

"Oh no no. They don't need to be here. I'll gladly let them know your thoughts when they come home. Or, better yet, why don't I give Mira a call right now and let her know. Mira never misses a call from her dear little sister." Lisanna sneered.

"All bark and no bite, hon." Gray crossed his arms and smirked. "Angry doesn't work on you, you know." Lisanna's lips gaped open and she narrowed her cerulean colored eyes.

"You're just like Natsu! I really can't stand you both sometimes." Lisanna frowned and plopped into the black swirling chair behind the counter. Gray smiled victoriously, although, with the pitiful look now plastered on the girl's face, he felt a little guilty. Gray adjusted his tie and sighed.

"I'm much more civilized than that Sriracha ball," Gray stated, his work mode coming back, signaling that the man was about to leave.

"Sriracha ball? That's a new one." Kinana giggled. Gray shrugged. "What're you planning to do with all this free time?"

"I'm headed to the Magnolia Sheriff's office to see if they need any help with interrogations. If not, I'm planning on finding Cana at the casino to make some money." Gray stated.

"Oo, good cop or bad cop?" Kinana asked.

"You know I'm best at bad cop." Gray laughed.

"If you're going out, you should take Loke with you. He's been practicing his aim in the training building since five am. The guy's bored out of his mind, plus he's just wasting bullets. He doesn't need any more practice." Lisanna stated.

"One of his girlfriends probably just broke up with him." Gray snickered. "At least he's not punching at the punching bag like last time. Its stained with blood now. It's kinda gross."

"Nothing we're not used to Gray." Kinana retorted. Gray waved her off, but the statement stung him. It stung all of them. Maybe more than one would think it should. The people they killed were few in number because they usually work with the local police to detain them. Even so, the death count stacks up for most everyone, even an informant like Levy. And even though they're all _bad_ people, they are still people. That kind of weight can get heavy. Especially adding on the accidents and the ones you couldn't save. The innocent at the wrong place at the wrong time. Those hurt the most. Those are the ones you have nightmares of.

Gray cleared his throat. The noise cut the tight tension that held them silent like a knife.

"I'll get four eyes," Gray mumbled awkwardly scratching his now brushed back black hair.

"Tell him the news, will you?" Lisanna asked. "And maybe teach the newbie a few pointers. He's really good at taking orders, but absolutely horrendous at acting on his own."

"I'll try, but the guy doesn't listen to anyone unless they're a hot girl." Gray snickered already making his way toward the door.

"Speaking off, do us a favor and bring him straight off the campus. I'm not in the mood for senseless flirting at the moment." Lisanna stated.

"Yes, mam." Gray was already out the door by the time he replied.

Gray took long strides around the gaudy agency and to the back, where multiple more normal looking structures stood like a jungle of buildings. Each one of them was owned by Fairy Tail, but no one would ever know that by looking at them. They were made to be completely inconspicuous and they were. No one made much mind to them. And if anyone got curious, well, Fairy Tail knew how to manipulate their way out of a situation.

Gray entered one of their largest buildings, the General Training Facility, which included multiple shooting ranges, weight rooms, paintball court, obstacle courses, and even some more unique facilities like a giant jungle gym suspended in the air. Gray spent most of his time at the shooting range, the weight room, or the boxing ring, where his most common opponent was Natsu.

Behind the General Training Facility, or called simply _Fac_ , was the Courtyard. It was completely surrounded by buildings and concealed from anyone on the outside. It had a track around its perimeter and on the inside had several tables were Fairy Tail members ate lunch. The buildings surrounding it were for several different things. One was a large tech building filled with surveillance, computers, and other gadgets. The most notable members to spend their time there are Laxus and Levy. Levy, who was their certified informant/researcher could dig up just about any info that needs to be found whether that be on the internet or in a book or in another person. Laxus was the go-to hacker. He was insanely good at hacking just about any system. However, this is that last thing he's known for. He's much scarier with a gun.

There was the Labs, which no one really messed around in except Natsu. That's where he experiments with his bombs and grenades when he isn't in his room. His favorite things to conjure up are stink bombs and smoke bombs filled with laughing gas.

Fairy Tail had an armory too, which in addition to storing weapons, had more specialized courses to help hone skills in things from guns to ninja stars. This included various moving targets, some that even shot back.

Then there was everyone's favorite and the largest building, besides the Fac, the Simulation Rooms. This is very important for all of the members training, especially for ones like Gray, who had to deal with manipulation and not just fighting. There were sims for bomb defusing for Natsu, research prompts for Levy, virtual escape rooms, negotiation situations and lie detector technology for Cana and Gray, and mock shootouts and fistfights for generally everyone.

Gray headed to the elevator which opened immediately upon pressing the up button. The place really was desolate. He went down to the level beneath this one, dedicated to the main shooting range, where he was almost positive he'd find Loke unless he moved onto his usual martial arts training. The guy has only been working at Fairy Tail for about a month, but he's extremely skilled. Which got Gray curious as to what he was doing before he came here. However, it was an unspoken rule not to pry, which pained the guild's strong curiosity.

He walked a little way down the hall, his black dress shoes clicking against the concrete floor and echoing throughout, loud enough to alert Loke that he was approaching. Even so, when Gray found him, he was leaning against the wall, his forest green eyes peering straight through his glasses into his phone.

"If it isn't Loke Lilica looking as tragic and ravishing as ever," Gray announced. Loke's hands bounced a bit, his phone fumbling in his hand, but otherwise wasn't phased by the sudden announcement. His head turned sharply toward Gray. The charming ginger smirked and released his body into a more lax position.

"And if it isn't Gray Fullbuster looking sharp and suave as always." Loke shot back. Gray approached him and joined him in leaning against the wall.

"What was with you? A hot girl didn't call you back?" Gray teased.

"Nah, the hot girls _always_ call me back." Loke tipped his head back, his short orange locks twitching with the action. He flashed Gray his teeth, cockiness oozing out of every orifice that man possessed. "I was just lost in thought."

"You weren't watching porn on your phone?" Gray scoffed.

"I don't need to watch porn. I can see it all up close and personal. High definition, 3D, enhanced sound; the works."

"Right, right." Gray shook off the man's testosterone and rolled his eyes. "So you were down here _thinking_ since five?"

"Pretty much." Loke laughed. "Relieving some stress. I'm sure you get it."

"Yeah . . ." Gray sighed. That was all he was gonna get out of him. If it wasn't about one of his usual female friends, it meant it was _personal_. Everyone understood that _personal_ was where that no prying rule came into play.

"So, what else did ya need?" Loke whistled.

"Well, you heard about the screwup yesterday right?"

"Yeah, nice work you two. You both make _wonderful_ teammates."

"Not a time for sarcasm, Loke." Loke waved his hand in front of his face as some sort of apology.

"Anyway, the screw up was enough to tip the Crime Council over the edge."

"Uh oh," Loke stated, realizing the seriousness of the news now.

"Yeah. 'Uh oh' is right." Gray clenched his teeth and cracked his jaw. "Long story short, Fairy Tail's on probation and Natsu got suspended."

"Oh shit, remind me to steer clear of him for a while."

"Hopefully he'll be over it in a couple days. He was having a sucky day." Gray stated.

"Missed breakfast?" Loke snickered.

"Yup. Oh, and there was this girl looking for a job that came in earlier. You should've seen her. Just your type dude."

"A busty blond?" Loke laughed.

"The definition. Wakaba put up an ad for a job in order to get to talk to hot girls. He interviewed her and actually gave her the job. The old guy's brain must be deteriorating. She came in this morning and Natsu was being an idiot and was pestering her. Then she commented on his hair, which severely pissed the idiot off." Gray stated. Loke rubbed the bridge of his nose, just under his glasses, which bobbed up and down like they were staking its head. Most everyone has made a comment on Natsu hair at least once, whether to intentionally piss him off or not. And most everyone knew how defensive he was about it. The guy completely denies dying it, even though he'd have to of.

 _Pink hair is not a naturally occurring color, Natsu. You had to have it dyed at some point. I can see blon—_ Gray said, or some version of that, often. However, even living with him, he's never seen him dye it once.

Too which Natsu replied, _I'm just special. One of a kind, ya know! So shut up._

Gray suspected it gave him some sort of confidence telling people his hair was natural. It made him stand out. Lord knows he loved to stand out.

"Hopefully, like you said, he'll get over it. Maybe taking some time to cool off will be good for him." Loke exasperated finally after letting the story settle in for a while.

"He'll at least feel a little better once he's eaten something. I can guarantee he's eating a spicy chilly dog right about now." Gray laughed. "Anyway, that's not all I'm down here for."

"I figured. What's up?" Loke asked, looking slightly relieved to have something else to do.

"I'm heading down to Magnolia Sheriff's office to see if they need help with some interrogating. Maybe head down to the casino to see Cana. Any way to make a bit of extra cash, especially with Natsu temporarily out of business. Not that he was getting much work before."

"I heard your payment was only a quarter of what it should've been because of the damage too. It's been rough around here lately huh." Loke sighed. Gray nodded her head gravely.

"Seems all the bad guys don't wanna come out and play. Which isn't a bad thing for anyone but us. We have to make money somehow." Gray stated. "The way things are going, we oughta switch sides and be the bad guys. You know they make a lot more bank." Gray laughed. Loke tensed up a bit, his face going crooked. He caught himself and relaxed. Gray pretended he didn't notice.

"Yeah, right?" Loke forced out a snicker before pushing himself off the wall. "Well, I'm more than down. Been bored out of my mind down here." Gray gave the ginger agent a simple nod and began walking toward the elevator. He could barely hear the man's soft footsteps behind him, but his presence was strong and he knew he was very much there.

...

 **[Leo "The Lion" aka Loke Lilica]**

Leo had gotten roughly three and a half hours of sleep last night. It was more than usual and he felt strangely well rested. It was the first time in forever that he'd felt that way. It might've been because he was finally on stable ground. His life was sailing weirdly steadily now. He was nowhere near used to it, but he thought that maybe he could grow to be used to it. In a way, it scared him, but it also gave him hope. He laughed at himself for that. He wasn't ever really one to be hopeful. Granted a lot of things have changed in the last six months. He was surprised to even be in the position he was right now. It never should've happened, and yet, it did. He had one person to thank for that.

Leo ran his hand along his carrot orange hair. He was already used to it being this short. Somehow shaving his head released this huge weight. He felt like a different person. Which was probably a good thing. Definitely a good thing actually. He stood up and walked to the window. He opened the curtains slowly. The lights from the buildings blinked at him. The view, he wasn't afraid to admit, was amazing. For a second, he wondered if she was looking out the window right now too. _Probably not. It's four am, idiot._ Leo sighed.

He turned away from the window, turned on the lights, and walked directly into the shower. He'd slept naked. He never used to. He had hardly even slept. But, he found it considerably more comfortable, and, well, convenient. His showered quickly, as he was accustomed to. He changed into jeans, an orange graphic tee, and a large army green jacket. He found his glasses sitting on the bathroom counter and slipped them on. From that moment on until he was back at his apartment, he was Loke Lilica.

Leo walked down the street with his hands shoved into his pockets. With every breath, puffs of smoke came from his lips and nose. His ears tingled. It was one of those occasions he wished he had long hair again.

The streets were pretty much empty besides groups of drunken bar hoppers and the occasional sketchy men in black that Leo was too accustomed to be wary of. Leo stopped for a cup of coffee at an all-night cafe, even though he wasn't tired. It gave him something to distract himself, plus the cute, but terribly tired barista's number. He quickly put it into his phone, not managing to remember her name so putting in _Tired Barista No. 3._ His contacts were getting lengthy. Not that he minded too much. He had plenty of people to keep him entertained at least.

His work wasn't far enough away from his apartment to take public transport, so he always walked. He became accustomed to it. Not to mention, he enjoyed the catcalls he received from the people on the street. Of course, he didn't get as many this early in the morning, though a few drunk women called to him asking him to drink with them now and again. Much to his chagrin, he always refused.

He came up to the familiar building of which he worked. At first, he thought it was the ugliest building he'd ever seen. It still is, but he learned that the place was a lot more than it led onto be. All of the towering buildings near it were apart of that gaudy orange building with FAIRY TAIL in big curvy letters. It was a perfect cover. No one suspected a thing.

When he entered, the building was still almost completely dark. The only light was from the front desk. A small lamp illuminated the area and one of the receptionists, Lisanna, sat sipping a large cup of coffee and browsing through the computer. When Leo approached, Lisanna immediately looked up. Recognizing the face, she smiled.

"Loke, you're even earlier than you usually are. I didn't hear you come in. You startled me. "

Leo smirked and leaned forward. "I'm terribly sorry miss Strauss." Lisanna waved her hands in front of her face.

"It's too early for flirting Loke. Cool your jets." Leo sighed as a sign of retreat, but his smirk was still lingering on his face.

"Hmpf, whatever you say. Well then, if that's the case, I'm heading to the Fac."

"More combat training, huh?" Loke shook his head.

"Nah, I'm going to the shooting range." Lisanna took another long sip of her coffee.

"Welp, try to save some ammo for the rest of us. And try to challenge yourself at least. There's no point if you're constantly getting bullseyes." Lisanna scolded. Loke waved her off.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, mademoiselle." Leo snickered at the glare she gave him and playfully played drums on the desk, before twisting around and strutting towards the front door.

Leo made his way around the building and to the back towards the large building called the Fac. This was arguably Loke's favorite part of Fairy Tail. This is was that gaudy orange building was trying to hide.

Leo walked inside and took the elevator to the level below. He would've practiced more hand to hand combat today, but his knuckles were still raw from the other day. Which would've never usually bothered him, but he was advised by more than one person that he needed to take it easy on the punching bag. If he were to go at it now, the scabs on his hands would tear and the bag would be bloodier than it already was. He wasn't in the mood to get into another argument with Gray about it.

He walked towards a large metal door at the far end of the shooting range and punched in the six-digit code into the keypad. Inside were various sizes of guns. Loke reached for a Glock 19 of which he's most familiar with using. He grabbed a box of ammo before closing the door and securing a spot at the end of the range.

He shot away at one of the drearily human-shaped targets for about an hour until he got bored. Which usually always happened. Practicing was never as exhilarating as the real thing. He really did miss the action in a weird way. He debated going to the Sim Room, but the avatars in the simulations are so weirdly realistic that they plummet straight into the uncanny valley. It sent shivers down Leo's spin just thinking their soulless faces. He guessed he was more of a traditional kind of guy.

Leo walked to the vending machine in the middle of the level and gave it a hardy kick. This was a trick he learned from Natsu.

"You never know what's going to come out of it, but at least you don't have to pay. We don't get paid enough to pay three dollars for a drink every day." Is what Natsu stated has he cracked open a can of a vegetable juice blend.

Leo reached down and pulled out a can of sparkling lemonade.

"Score." Leo beamed while cracking the can open and kicking it back.

His phone buzzed in his back pocket suddenly. He threw his empty can in the trash next to the machine before pulling out his phone. The screen said, _Lucy._ His heart skipped a few beats before reading the rest of the contact: _Lucy from Hato Sushi._ He gulped down his disappointment before answering the phone.

"Hey, Loke! I haven't heard from you in a week. You totally ghosted me. Where've you been?" The voice over the phone was shriller than in real life. Girl's voices always seemed to go up an octave over the phone.

"Hey, Loey. Sorry I've been busy with work." Which was a lie. All he's been doing lately was training. He was usually good about contacting the girl's in his contacts. But _Lucy from Hato Sushi_ was particularly hard for him to talk to. It was stupid; they only shared the same name, yet it drove him crazy. This particular girl is one he had hung out with a lot when he first moved here. She was pretty persistent. She always called or texted first and Leo didn't like turning people down. He called her Loey so he would've have to say her name. Leo began to walk back to his shooting range while he talked on the phone.

"Aw, it's alright. I just missed your voice. I wanted to let you know that I'm moving to Crocus! You've been such a great friend to me it felt wrong leaving without telling you."

"Crocus? Really? That's crazy. It's dangerous there. Steaming with gangs. It's pretty expensive there too. How could you afford that with Hato Sushi salary?" Leo teased. She giggled through the phone.

"Don't worry about me. I'm a big girl. I can handle myself." Loey said. Leo winced. Those words felt a little too familiar. "Besides, I've been saving up for this move since I was fifteen. I've told you this remember?"

"Right . . ." Leo's voiced dragged out. He heard Loey sigh.

"What's wrong?" Loey said.

"It's nothing, Loey. I've gotta go though. Make sure you bring pepper spray. There are tons of creepy men out there."

"You're one to talk, Loke. Hehe, well, bye-bye. I probably won't get to contact you for a while with the move. I'll give you a call when I'm settled."

"Bye…" Leo hung up the phone abruptly. He scratched his head before going into his notes and finding a number he'd typed down. He took a deep breath as he leaned back against the wall.

"I really shouldn't do this." Leo bit his lip and punched in the number on his phone. The phone rang. His foot tapped impatiently. "Oh god, this is a terrible idea. I should hang up—"

"Hello, who is this." The voice said. This voice was the same as he remembered it to be. Despite the clear nervousness in her voice, it sounded sweet. Like a light breeze. He immediately relaxed. It was Lucy, his old friend. He missed her, so he called her. No big deal. They're trying to be normal people now aren't they?

"Hey, Lucy." He breathed out. There was a pause for a moment. He thought she might've hung up. She did recognize his voice, didn't she?

"Leo? How in the world did you get my number." Her voice got sharper now, the way it did when she gave an order. He could hear horns honking and the shuffling of her feet.

"I have my ways, m'lady." He smiled he couldn't help it. He missed teasing her like this.

"Drop the m'lady. You know I hate that." Lucy hissed. Leo sighed. _She's so serious._

"Right, right. Old habits die hard, you know." There was silence between them. Loke pressed his tongue against his teeth anxiously before clearing his throat. "Anyway, that's unimportant. I was just making sure you've gotten settle alright. You haven't run into any problems, right?"

"No, everything's going quite well. So far. I've got my fake ID and paperwork, I cut and dyed my hair, I'm wearing expensive colored contacts, I got an apartment, and I've got job…" Lucy listed off. This didn't ease Leo's concerns at all though. It only made him more worried.

"Apartment? So you're in a city? Are you sure that's a great idea? I think you're underestimating your father, Lu. I mean if I'm able to get your phone number, surely someone else will be able to." Leo didn't mean to lecture her, but as he had said, old habits die hard.

"Yeah, but you're you. You probably just figured out the fake name I'm going by. I bet this isn't your first attempt to get a hold of me." She wasn't wrong. He'd been obsessing over finding her since he'd gotten settled. She covered her tracks well. But he feared not well enough.

"You figured me out already? But I still think you should get out of the city and get off the internet. I mean I can afford to be in the city, but you? That's a little more than risky."

"I'll be fine. I've got fraudulent papers up the wazoo, my hair is a muddy yellow half its original length, my eyes are blue, and the only thing I have is a phone number and a Netflix account. Both of which I made sure were made using all new information that's completely untraceable. I'm practically a completely different person."

 _You say that Lu but you know your father . . ._ Leo clenched his fists. This phone made him more stressed than before.

"A Netflix account? Was that really necessary?" Loke could practically feel her eyes narrowing at him.

"Yes, completely necessary." Lucy deadpanned. Leo rolled his eyes. She's still stupidly stubborn. "Well, what about you? What're you up to?"

"Me? I'm still around Fiore. I have a slightly grown out ginger buzz cut and some ear piercings. I have a new girlfriend, Hannah, who works at a hair salon. I haven't worn a suit for around a month. And I got a job and apartment about three weeks ago."

"A job? I can't imagine what kind of job you got." Lucy giggled.

 _I'd guarantee that you can't. Never in a million years did I think I'd be doing this, that's for sure._

"It suits me. It's a bit odd, but so was my previous job." He hated to keep things from her, but it's better for her not to know. He knew she'd worry.

"Vague, but okay. I better go, Leo. Feel free to call again. It was nice talking to you. And if you ever get a hold of the others do let me know. I'm really hoping they're okay."

"I will, Lucy. Or shall I call you Anna? Talk to you later." Leo clenched his phone in his hand. He wished he could talk to her longer, but she seemed busy. That made one of them. He wished she would've gotten out of the city, but he knew she never would've gone very far. He hoped she at least got out of Fiore, but that was doubtful.

 _I hope you don't make everything we've done go to waste. I hope you know better than that. Especially after everything we've all sacrificed._

Loke had been shooting at the targets for another hour. He had tried to make it more challenging for himself by doing all kinds of handicaps. He tried aiming with his left eye instead of his right, Shot with both eyes closed, tried to shoot four guns at once (two in each hand), and even tried to find a way to shoot the gun with his feet. All of which ended with various levels of success. It was bizarre being able to goof off like this. It was bizarre to be able to entertain himself whenever he felt bored.

Not long ago he'd have to stand in silence for countless hours, sometimes days, without sleep. Yet, he never grew impatient with it. He bore it. He didn't have the luxury of impatience. It seemed silly, but there were a lot of small things that he hadn't been able to do before. Now that he was free, he's able to do them so easily. He's able to truly enjoy himself. He's able to feel annoyed over tiny things. He's able to find stupid things funny. He was able to make light when he's made a mistake. Hell, he could sleep naked even.

Before these last several months, there were moments when he'd feel normal. Moments when he was able to get frustrated or tease Lucy or crack a smile at a less serious colleague's joke or think a girl was hot. Those moments when he didn't have to think so objectively or analyze every move he made, but simply just feel. Moments when he was a normal person. Those moments were always fleeting. They always left him. And every time it was as though his whole soul left his body. But now it's like his soul entered him again all of the sudden and it wasn't leaving. Though he was always scared it might leave again, and though he was always scared that if it left he might not be able to get it back, he was trying, and he seemed to be succeeding, at living life normally. He was hoping that his soul would stay awhile.

He closed his eyes, a memory coming back to him.

" _Lucy, you're being unreasonable! You're hurting all of us by acting this way! He'll kill all of us you know! Can't you just take one for the team! Can't you do something for us for once! We've done so much for you!" Aquarius slammed her fists against the table. If Lucy wasn't already crying, that would've made her. Lucy gripped her comforter and squeezed it to her face._

" _That's hilarious! Don't try and act like any of you ever cared! All you're doing is your job!" Lucy screamed into the bundle of blankets. "Even now! All you've all ever done is your job!"_

" _And maybe it's about time you do yours, Lucy!" Leo shouted. He stood beside Aquarius. The two of them were ganging up on her. Maybe it wasn't exactly fair, but at the time they were desperate. "This is the only thing you've ever been asked to do! Why don't you do something for once in your life? Aren't you sick of having everything handed to you? Aren't you sick of being so useless!" Leo was too angry to regret his words now, but he would. He didn't even realize he'd said something so terrible. Not even after her reaction. Not until everything was said. Even Aquarius was taken aback by the statement. They knew how much that would hurt her._

 _Lucy threw the covers off of her and lurched forward, possibly with the intent to grab him, but fell short onto the bed hopelessly. Her voice came out small and her tears trickled from her eyes, soaking into her silky sheets. "H-h-how . . . H-how could you say that? How could you say that to me!"_

" _Is it not true? We've all made sacrifices Lucy. It's time you make one yourself." Aquarius murmured. They all didn't have enough voice to yell anymore. They've all exhausted themselves already._

" _You guys don't think I've made sacrifices? You, you don't think I've done anything for all of you . . ." She looked into her lap. "How do you think Plue is still alive . . . or Lyra or Gemi and Mini, even after messing up so many times? Who do you think stuck their neck out for them?" Lucy clenched her sides and hugged herself. "You don't have any idea what I've had to do."_

 _But they did now, looking at her. Looking at the way she hugged herself, so desperately trying to hide her body from them. Like she was disgusted with herself. The both of them bowed their heads in shame. They've always suspected . . . yet, there was nothing they could do, right? There was nothing they could do to give back what was stolen from her. There's no way to give back someone's innocence._

 _For a long time, none of them spoke. None of them moved. And none of them breathed._

" _We're asking you to agree to giving your whole life away. We're sorry. We're sorry for asking that of you. But there's no other option. There's nothing we can do." Aquarius muttered. Lucy didn't look up. She simply stared at her hands._

" _I know that, but still." Lucy brought her hands to her eyes. "Don't you wish we could live a normal life? Don't you wish we could just be free from all of this? I've lived my life like this for over twenty years. I really don't think I can take it much longer . . . I've tried so hard to keep on going . . . but, but I—" Leo's sigh cut her off. His voice came out soft and quiet so no one but the three of them could possibly hear._

" _Miss Lucy, nothing is more important to us than your life and your well being. We do our job, yes, but we've all come to truly care about you. That is why I'm going to ask you this. I'm only asking this once, and your answer, whatever it is, is final. There's no going back." Leo folded his arms across his chest and leaned in. "Miss Lucy, do you want to run away?"_

 _Lucy uncovered her eyes and lifted her chin up. Her glossy brown eyes met Leo's._

Leo scratched his head and huffed a breath of air.

"Shit. That felt like so long ago." Leo said to himself. "If only we'd done it sooner."

After almost shooting himself while attempting to shoot the gun with his feet, Leo retired back to his phone for a bit. By this time, messages from the woman on his phone would roll in. Most of them heading to their jobs as interns at big companies, going to college classes, some up and about to go workout, others who've stayed up all night bar hopping as the parties have pretty much died out. He tapped each one and gave a reply.

" **We should get coffee soon! My thesis is completed! I can finally relax."**

 _Yay, bet you aced it. Wish I could be as smart as you! Let me know when you're free and we will._

" **I had a nice time the other day. I look forward to lunch with you next week."**

 _Same here! Does Mexican sound good? Comer Bien just opened up!_

" **lokeeee! just won a hundred and fifty bucks from this drunk guy over pool. Whatta chump! Come party with mee**

 _It's like seven am cana! you should head home! But that's great. lol you'll bet it all away soon._

" **Leo. I'm afraid Mr. Heartfilia plans to get more serious in his efforts to find us. Be careful. Don't do anything stupid."**

 _Thanks for telling me . . . I won't . . . Let me know if you hear anything more._

"If it isn't Loke Lilica looking as tragic and ravishing as ever." Leo tore his eyes from his phone and looked up at the person he already knew was Gray. Leo wasn't surprised to see him in a suit again. It made him laugh. The suite didn't really suit him, pun intended. Sure, it made him look like completely unbreakable, but the thing was that Gray wasn't completely into it. Not a lot of people would be able to catch it, but he always looked strangely uncomfortable when he walked, like the clothes didn't fit quite right. He remembered when a suit was his usual attire. Though, Leo always thought he wore it well. Furthermore, as an ex-suit wearer himself he was certain of one thing, Gray definitely slept naked. Naturally, if you're stuck wearing a suit all day, by night time, you want to let loose.

"And if it isn't Gray Fullbuster looking sharp and suave as always." Leo leaned his head back with a cheerful smile as Gray joined him against the wall. God, was he thankful for some company.

His savior from boredom peered down at Leo's phone in hopes of seeing what he was looking at to no avail.

"What was with you? A hot girl didn't call you back?" Gray pried. Leo was surprised he asked. Gray was usually good at minding his own business. Leo suspected the girls had something to do with his concern. Not that he wasn't touched anyway. Leo made it a point to slip his phone back into his pocket before another unexpected message popped up. He maintained cheeky grin while he did, one that geared Gray for what was to come out of his mouth next.

"Nah, the hot girls always call me back." This got an immediate eye roll from Gray. He guessed he deserved that. Leo threw his head back charmingly and flashed his teeth at Gray. This was mostly just to bug him. He enjoyed making Gray uncomfortable. "I was just lost in thought."

"You weren't watching porn on your phone?" Scoffed Gray. Leo shook his head. The man really set himself up, didn't he? Leo ran his palm along his buzzed hair and licked his lips unnervingly.

"I don't need to watch porn. I can see it all up close and personal. High definition, 3D, enhanced sound; the works." Leo noticed Gray shift in his suit before giving him a large eye roll. _Jealous?_ Leo laughed to himself.

"Right, right." Gray straightened himself out and crossed his arms. Which meant no more jokes. Playtime was over. "So you were down here thinking since five?"

"Pretty much. Relieving some stress. I'm sure you get it." Leo laughed uneasily. Gray didn't like goofing around, but Leo sure as hell hated getting serious. He'd have to avert the conversation soon if Gray didn't take a hint. Though, Leo knew he would.

"Yeah…" Gray's voice seemed to wander and that signaled the end of that topic. Leo was relieved.

"So, what else did ya need?"

Leo followed Gray out of the Fac. It seemed like things weren't going over to well for Fairy Tail from what Gray told him. And Natsu was having an even harder time. He couldn't imagine how pissed of the guy is right now. Of course, he brought it on himself. Stupid mistakes like that can't afford to be made. There's no denying that.

That being said, Natsu isn't the only one who makes stupid mistakes. It can be argued that Erza makes more, it's just that they aren't as noticed. You can be sure, in Natsu's line of work, a mistake will most definitely be noticed. Leo is impressed he hasn't screwed up more than he has. For as long as Natsu's been working, he hasn't had one unintentional casualty. That's incredibly impressive. Out of everyone in his line of work that Leo has encountered or heard of, Natsu is most the best. And from what he hears, his skill goes beyond just explosives. He's certainly notta force to be reckoned with.

* * *

This chapter was supposed to be way longer, but I really didn't want to keep you guys waiting much longer.

* * *

 **NaLuFireSpirit-** You're an absolute angel! Thank you so much for being the first to review! Not many people take the time to, so it really really means a lot!

 **mumof4-** I'm super duper pumped to hear that! I was worried, because the last thing I want is for my stories to be boring, and you're limited with what you can do in a reality-based world. Sorry for making you wait! You're a champ.

 **Valythe** \- Thanks! I'm glad ya like it. And thanks for taking the time to review, cause it really makes me smile!

 **ChaosreigN-** Thank a bunch! I'm excited to show you how everything plays out, I have big plans!

 **Star0Dragon0Slayer-** Short, but sweet, and extremely motivating. Thank you! I've peaked at your stories, and I'm very very intrigued. I'm checking them out soon!

 **Kjacket-** I hope I don't let ya down! If it isn't exciting, then please call me out. Cause if you're bored, then I'm not doing my job properly!

 **neffateri13-** I can't even begin to say how grateful I am for this review. It really was the most motivating thing to read. For the bottom of my heart, thank you. You've got no idea how happy it makes me to hear that someone thinks that.

 **Thank you so so so much for the reviews. They're what pushed me back into writing this. You guys are so sweet and so amazing. Since you guys are the first to review, I'm wanted to individually thank each and every one of you.**

* * *

 **Question:** I was wondering if you guys would prefer shorter chapters with shorter waiting times or to stick with the longer chapters? It might also be easier for me to edit, but if you guy want longer, then I most definitely will do so like I originally planned.

Have a lovely day!


	3. Announcement

Okay, guys, don't kill me, but I'm going to be continuing and publishing this story on Wattpad. Lately, I've been really wanting a fresh start, and I've been wanting to make my stories as good as they can be. So, I'm going to be posting on wattpad in hopes of being more productive, as well as the quality of my stories increasing.

I guess that's all.

You can find me on Wattpad, if you so desire, with the username elorla and this story with the name "The Fairy Tail Agents"


	4. Announcement pt 2

Thank you all so much for the support! You're all too sweet! I forgot to give you sweethearts a link for wattpad but the site doesn't allow link to be posted, so here is what you'll have to type into the search. * a period*

user/elorla

My account should also pop up if you type in "elorla" in the wattpad search bar.

If you wanna read where I left off here, the never-before-seen content will begin with chapter 8 "An Interrogation" that will be posted around 4/27. I will be breaking up the content I already have on here into several chapters and posting them with minor revisions every day this week until chapter 8.

Again, thank you so much! Your encouragement means so so much to me.


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